


After work hours

by Onxy_Black



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Cover Art, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by a Movie, Is very Three centric, Its kinda for Valentines day, Light Angst, Memory Loss, Monologue, One Shot, Referenced other events, at least, at least is after canon ends, eh, inspired by a friend, non Canon, partly, referenced other characters, what else?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:29:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22599373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onxy_Black/pseuds/Onxy_Black
Summary: The work is finished. The job is done. The objective is met. The aim accomplished. The mission completed.They won, and now at last there can be peace.Yet why... did she feel so empty inside?Something was missing. Why? Why was it that everything was good and well yet... she felt that something was missing? She had been searching, searching and searching for something, someone, somewhere... or perhaps, she was just searching for a job.---A oneshot based on the events after the good guys won, though it isn't particularity 100% canon. This work is a separate AU in itself, so there's no link to other works of mine.And well, this is meant to be a Valentines day short. Not quite sure if its going to turn out to be one though.
Relationships: Agent 3 & Agent 8 (Splatoon), Agent 3/Agent 8 (Splatoon)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. Cover art

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines day! For me personally, I'm going to be single for life, at my choice, ok? Love life is a pain for me, and I got no time nor interest in it. But still, Happy valentines day to you all! And of course, to our dear squids, inkling and octolings alike.
> 
> Unfortunately, or fortunately, there isn't going to be any chocolate giving here. What I can give you, though, is just a dash of angst and a smidge of fluff that should leave you wanting. Should. Well then, anyways thank you for checking this work out, give it a try yeah! Yeah?
> 
> Heh. On with the show!

  
_Searching, searching, searching. She always had been searching, though searching for what, she didn’t know. All she had, was the feeling of lost, that she had lost something, and wanted it back. Oh, what was she searching for? Something, someplace, someone… or perhaps just simply a job?_

“I am sorry Miss Shock, but I believe your expertise would be better suited with another organization.” Yet another interviewer smiled, as they clicked shut her resume folder and slid it back to her across the table.

 _Miss Shock; what a name indeed._ And it just so happened to be her name. Miss Shock returned the smile with a chilly one of her own, accepting the folder gracefully before rising from the table and giving a farewell bow.

She would exit the room tactfully, make for the first restroom she saw, lock herself in the cubicle, then throw the carp up down the toilet bowl. _Oh snot filled muffins, what a farce!_ Every moment spent as ‘Miss Shock’ was absolutely revolting. _Smiles here and there, handshakes and polite little bows along with sappy greetings. Oh and not to forget the eloquent but totally cringy speech; ‘Oh if you would excuse me…’ or ‘What a pleasure to meet your acquaintance…’. Bah. More like ‘piss off’ and ‘piss off before I whack your face in’ respectively._

After cleaning up herself, _yes, just her beak and face, to heck with the now puke covered toilet bowl,_ she got up and thread her way back out into society. _Another day wasted job hunting,_ she grumbled as her stomach grumbled together; given that her schedule of meeting various companies, circumstances often found her meal times skipped or pushed back. _Well, it wouldn’t do to dine where she was now, fancy restaurants weren’t her thing, nor was the hefty bill attached much appreciated._

Checking the time, she found it close to 7pm, which would mean reaching home close to 9pm, since she stayed rather far from the city centre. Dinner, well actually the first meal since breakfast, would be either home cooked or some cheap convenience store food.

 _It… really wasn’t even a debate at all,_ she couldn’t and wouldn’t cook to save her life, heck, she’ll probably die in the ensuring explosion from frying an egg; _so cheap takeaway it was, again._

Miss Shock sighed deeply, taking a moment to tilt her head backwards and look up at the darkening night sky. _Neh…_ how she wished to just flop down and stare at the stars, counting them and eventually falling asleep under the cool moonlight. _But she couldn’t, this was civilised society, and there were unspoken rules, rules she had to follow, if she ever wanted to have a chance at getting a job._

“Hey, watch it!” A gruff voice broke her out of her musing as she felt her body forcefully shoved to one side.

She blinked, as time itself seemed to slow. _She would pivot on her left foot, riding the force of the push and spin around, while her hands could grab the insurgent for the charged roundhouse kick coming their way. With proper execution, that should leave them with a smashed limb, after which she could force them downwards into a prone position to…_

The moment ended, and she shot her right foot out to steady herself, her gaze catching the disappearing form of the one who bumped her. Hands poised to strike never did, instead curling into tightly balled fists as they shook with barely contained anger. Dark yellow eyes well adapted to the dark traced the fading form of that person, until they rounded the corner.

She took a shallow breath, blinked, then went on her way.

* * *

_Searching. She was searching for something. What was it? What was this feeling in her chest that she so desperately wanted to find, to fill, that was unknown to her? She was searching, searching forever and ever for this piece to her life._

Now free from the shackles of prim and proper behaviour, the inkling female stood on the miniscule balcony of her apartment, overlooking the street from a mighty 2 stories. Not that she should be complaining, some of the units in the apartment complex she stayed in didn’t even have a balcony, or straight up faced the dim back streets and filthy alleyways.

Behind her, inside the room lay the itchy uncomfortable suit, ripped off her frame and thrown to one side. She would have to fix that later, for tomorrow’s sake, but that could wait. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the night, as she sipped at her steaming mug of double brew coffee.

 _…Yes, it was close to midnight, and she was drinking coffee._ The day started at 5am tommorow, and she still had to bathe, fix said suit, and pack for the next day. She was screwed, and she didn’t care. _Let tomorrow worry about itself, for now… live in the here and now; today._

A rare smile cracked across her features, as she remised on the words of her mentor. And with that came memories of the past, one of danger and action and close calls with death – but one of fun. It was fun, emphasis on ‘was’. The smile now turned bittersweet, as she felt her eyes start stinging. It was gone, though, no more could she live like that. _‘A fresh start’ really, now?_ Her seniors had often tried to make light of everything, even when there was nothing left to make light off.

_Bah. She certainly didn’t feel fresh at all._

She turned, long tentacles swirling around her, free from the tight buns of they had to be tied in for formality’s sake. Walking as if in a daze, she moved past the pile of cloth which was her suit, casually treading over it. She continued across the tiny room, brushing her fingers through a tattered cape which now doubled as a makeshift curtain to block a hole in the wall. She gave the cape a forlorn look of affection, _once, she had worn that proudly, enjoying the sensation of the fabric flapping behind her as she moved. Now… now it was just hung up and left alone, much akin to her current circumstances as well. Hung up… and left alone._

Finally parting with the cape, she made from the sole cupboard she owned, reaching for the top which doubled as a mini display shelf. A few dusty pictures from months of neglect, an old weathered zapfish plushie, and a small easer shaped trinket.

Moving her body to allow the moonlight to illuminate the room, she flipped through the old pictures, taken then by those rickety cameras that were boxy and bulky in design and printed on good old laminated paper. The first was of her standing by the cliffs with her mentor, another of her seniors posing in her signature poses, and finally one last one of everyone crowded around in front of an old shack, huddled together and grinning for the camera.

“…Sheldon, Callie, Marie, Captain… and…me…” words were mumbled as she traced over the familiar faces, naming them individually before she ended on herself. Her finger wavered slightly, as it hovered over the beaming inkling which was her in the photo, as she mentally completed her sentence; _and… me… Three._

The pictures were set back, her fingers brushing past the zapfish plushie and the other tiny scrap along the way. _Well, the plushie she did know; it being her first present from her mentor in the past, though the little easer thing… now where did she get it? And perhaps more importantly, why would she put it here?_

Three picked up the piece of thing, holding it gently between two fingers as she set her mug down with her other hand. Dropping it into her now free palm, she held it up, squinting as she tried to decipher its identity. With a change of wind, the moonlight faded, as murky clouds swallowed the moon, obscuring her source of light. Three frowned in displeasure at being unable to solve this little mystery; she could turn on the room light, but was loath to do so, since that meant an even higher electrical bill she was already struggling to pay.

 _Ah well, she would figure this out tomorrow,_ Three sighed as she dropped the little piece of something back onto the shelf, turning to address the mess of a life she lived. _Right, the suit, and the half finished cup of coffee. What a day indeed, but what could she do except to press on?_

 _At least,_ she mentally congratulated herself, that was something she was good at doing; _pressing on despite the odds and winning in the end._

* * *

_~~‘…’~~ _

_~~‘…!’~~ _

_~~‘…’~~ _

_~~‘… hree…?’~~ _

She woke up late, but then again that was to be expected, after the shenanigans she pulled last night, namely that treacherous cup of coffee. After checking the time, the conclusion was quickly reached that no matter how much she rushed, she wouldn’t make it for her first job interview _. So screw said interview._

That meant she was free up till after lunch, actually, her next hallmark of the day being a 2pm interview with _… C.Q logistics, it seemed_ , Three squinted at her phone as she checked her timetable for today. _So what now?_ It was only around 6am, and while she could and probably should do some general cleaning, she really didn’t feel like it.

Tapping at her phone as she lay down, she cycled through her apps, landing on ‘music’. After a moment’s consideration, she tapped it and set her playlist on random before amping up the in built speakers. It wasn’t very often she got time like this to just relax and chill, and she was going to make the most of it; _by just lazing around. Not that it was actual ‘free time’… this wasn’t particularly rightfully earned, but shush, she didn’t want to hear anymore of that side of the argument._

It was around 7am when the Sun’s rays began shining into the apartment which caused her to remember. She jumped out of bed and made for her cupboard, deciding to uncover the unknown left from last night. She pawed along the top, feeling the little piece roll into her hand and picking it up. Bringing it down now, she observed the thing, now lighted up by the warm and bright Sunlight.

It seemed it was in the shape of something, with faint colours outlining an image on the tiny scrap of material.

_~~‘…em cak…’~~ _

_Huh?_ Someone’s voice spoke in her mind, as she frowned and gave the item another closer look, flipping it around to see if there was a better image on the other side. _Ah, this side, being the one not exposed to the elements, had aged better, and the colours were still there, making up a rather nostalgic image. Oh so long had it been since she had seen one of these? Though that brought up another question; why would she even have an easer in their shape in her collection? Not to mention where she got this thing form in the first place, it wasn’t like she openly visited stationery shops. At least, she assumed it was an eraser, what else could it be?_

_~~‘… his mem cake… of … remem…’~~ _

_Huh?_ Again someone else spoke words of the past in her mind, the echoes fading out almost immediately. _Who? Who was that? It definitely wasn’t her, so who could it be? And what the heck was a… mem cake…? Was that what the voice called it?_

Three now brought this ‘mem cake’ up again, observing the image of an octoling the thing was shaped in. _That’s right; an octoling, a female at that. Sure, she knew what octolings were, having met quite a number of them in her previous… job. Right, she liked to think she had played the role of a restructuring resource manager. But why would she have something like this sitting around her apartment? And in her precious collection at that?_

 _Why? Why did she have this? Who gave it to her, and why would they? What? Why? Who? Urg, bloody ink maggots, it was starting to get painful to think._ Then something clicked.

_Tentacles curled and moved with the wind, clasping around a beautiful face. Eyes free from the typical inkling’s mask looked at her, and a fanged beak beamed in delight. They were at sea, on some platform. The octoling said something, and reached towards her. No, the octoling was holding something out to her. They pressed the gift into her hand, and smiled again._

_‘…Three… mem cake… remember me…’_

When she opened her eyes, she found herself on the floor, panting hard. Finding her hand clutched shut, she made an effort of will, and opened it, watching in a daze of little crumbles of the once whole ‘mem cake’ tumbled out and fell away. Normally, she would react fast and scoop up the little pieces, but today, now, she just half lay there, watching as the pieces tumbled away and fell to the floor.

Whatever it was that she just seen, it was real, she knew that. It was the past, a past somehow unknown to her. Yet it was her past. Whatever it was, it had happened sometime between her life as an agent and now _. Well no shit, genius,_ she fumed silently as that conclusion still left many open holes for her to fix.

But somehow, it did bring clarity to just one thing. She was always searching, searching for something, and now she knew what. She always felt somewhat empty, because she was missing a rather integral part of her memory, resulting in her constantly feeling the need to find what she had lost. That octoling girl in her dream, she somehow had a part to play in her life, and in some way may just be connected to the octoling ‘mem cake’.

 _Said ‘mem cake’ was now crushed beyond recognition_ _,_ as she now noted that it did really look like a cake, having a soft spongy interior. Three looked at the tiny pieces and crumps, and just for a moment considered eating it, before her common sense took over and she shot it down. _Was she insane? No! Ok well food budget was tight and all, but this was unwarranted, this ‘mem cake’ been sitting on her shelf for who know how long collecting dust!_ _Nope, eating it was out of the question, she could figure her memories out her own way. Not that she knew for a fact that eating it would even remotely have a chance at restoring her memories, why would she even assume that it would?_

‘…wanyua gruminaie, Minyamajuo stase, Soribafrairon naraoraion, Komisurdamai hajufrod…’ There was a song playing in the background, and it sounded mightily familiar.

Three figured out the first mystery rather quickly, namely that the source of the song was her own phone which she set to play music _, yes yes she wasn’t the brightest squid on the block_ , but the second was still partially a mystery. _‘Into the light’ by Off the Hook_ , Three read the song’s information, as she cocked her head in confusion.

 _Having Squid Sisters soundtracks on her phone made sense, but Off the Hook’s…?_ Ok she would admit they were pretty ‘fresh’ themselves, but why would she have this particular song downloaded, and with the note of ‘Eight’s favourite!’ attached to the song? _Who the ever loving carb was Eight?_

Click.

_‘Three! I won! Yeah I won! Tanks you, its all because you coached me! Yeah I won!’_

_What? Who…? An… octoling? Leaping and jumping for joy? It was… after a turf war… that the octoling won…? How did she know all this yet not remember the entre incident?_

Click.

_"Erm. Hi. So, erm, I'm kinda new here. Ah. Hello."_

_The shuttered words of the past breezed through her mind, as she could barely discern the bottom half of someone's face as they introduced themselves. She remembered the feeling of being amused, and of curiosity.... curiosity of what? That... that they were an octoling...?_

Click. 

_Someone was speaking again, and while she couldn't quite ascertain who, it probably was this octoling whose identity still eluded her._

_‘Three…? You know… this is really dangerous… are you sure? The operation cou…’_

“…!” Three hissed as she doubled over in pain as her head pulsed, her mind feeling like it was trying to subvert physics by simultaneously imploding yet exploding at the same time.

The images and memories immediately started popping out of existence, as Three swore bloody murder and wrestled to get them back. No, _no…! She… wouldn’t lose her own memories…!_ She struggled with her own mind, and tried desperately to pull the previous image and speech back up.

Click.

 _‘is rea… dangerou… ure…? The opera… could cau… brain dam… lo… memori… plea…I ………’_ The speech was fuzzy and the image even worse off, but she could feel it, feel the phantom sensation of the past of her hand being taken and something being pressed into her palm.

_‘… This mem cake… of me …please remember me… Eigh…’_

Click.

_Eight._

She opened her eyes, feeling warm tears pour down her cheeks and dripple across her cheeks. She got up, bursting into motion, throwing on some random clothes and snagging her phone before rushing out of the door. _She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to go, she had to search, however futile, however stupid it sounded, she had to…!_

_Eight._

She sprinted dead ahead for the Square, ignoring the too slow option of riding the subways and opting to jump from rooftops to rooftops, before she sensed the connection made and shifted to her squid form, preparing a superjump. _Totally illegal, yes,_ but she didn’t particularly care right now.

_Eight. Agent 8._

It was a Splatfest, of course it had to be, and there were squids everywhere. She landed in the square, and immediately started looking, searching, past the crowds of bodies. _She was searching, searching searching, forever and ever, for something, but now she knew. She knew who she was searching for, she had to find her, she had to!_

_Eight. Agent 8. Friend._

A ‘boom’ sounded, followed by many more, as streamers were popped, their tails twirling and spinning in the air as they floated downwards. Crowds cheered and hollered, as they began chanting for their teams to win. Three kept turning around, craning her neck in random directions, as slowly, logic finally began kicking in on the futility of her situation. _No, no, it was impossible, there was no way she could…_

_Eight. Agent 8. Friend. Here._

_Oh, if life was a movie it would be but a single frame in millions as it flashed by,_ but she caught it nonetheless. That colour of pink, the curl of tentacles with suckers proudly displayed. The unmistakable posse she carried herself with. Through the pink streamers and balloons, through the crowds and through the party, she stood, as if she was one apart from it all.

Three shouted her name, but nothing came forth, swallowed by the crowd. She gritted her beak, and shouted again, and again, even as she pressed forward, forcing her frame through the mass of bodies towards her. _There… almost there… just past here and she was right there…!_

Her heartbeats were loud, louder then everything else around. It didn't matter, nothing in the world mattered. Her hands reached out through the crowd, as she inched her way past the last wall of bodies to where she saw-

_Nothing. She was gone, and all around were just other faces, wrong faces, not her face. No, no, no… this was wrong, this couldn’t happen, this wasn’t supposed to happen…! She was… she was…_

A tap on the shoulder.

Three turned, and she was right there. She didn’t need a mirror to see how she looked, because now the octoling that stood before her wore the exact same expression. One of hope yet fear, one of remembrance yet loss. Tears flowed freely for both of them, and for a moment in time all was silent, all was clam, and there was just the two of them. The moments of heated passion that saw her through up to here suddenly lulled into that of utter silence and peace, as suddenly everything fitted together, into perfection. 

Three shook her head, and smiled desperately, _yes desperately_ , for it had to be her. Her voice was choking, she knew that, but everything could go to damn for all she cared.

“I found you.” She spoke, but what came out was something that sounded more like a choke, gurgle and some spitting.

_Irreverent, for she was her, and she knew her better then anyone else. She nodded, beak wavering as trembling hands rose to clasp her own._

_'... remember me...'_

Then she spoke. 

“No… I found you, at last.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe I almost called this work something cringly in typical fashion of myself? (I mean, 'Fresh Start'? 'Dark before the Dawn'? Really?) Ok I was going with 'Into the light', 'I see you', 'Found you'... or somthing of the likes. ok well the proper title now I think is pretty neat. 'After work hours' it is. Cause, you know, the work is over, but life goes on.
> 
> So I really really enjoyed writng this, and re reading it is actually quite enjoyable for myself. Its probably kind of that type where I need some fluff and love and I'll turn to this you know? Like 'Fresh Start'. Am I over advertising my other works? Eh. But ok!
> 
> There's actually not much to say about this work in genral, buuuut!
> 
> Well. This work was actually quite heavily inspaired by 'Your name' by Makoto Shinkai-san. I am really, really a huge fan of that movie. That and it drew inspiration from a friend of mine (fellow writer) Not quite gong to say who... cause they requested privacy on this issue.
> 
> Right! Now the cover art... hahahaah. Ok for one its artistic liberty ok? so it just supposed to show Three searching for that something thats missing, it doesn't exactly show the exactly scene where the final act plays out. That said, Err... look at the crowd, I had quite a bit of fun throwing in some random cameos here and there, wonder if anyone's going to be able to find all the weird little shenanigans I did? hmm. (There's a special cameo artwork from the one who helped with developing the idea for this work too in there!)
> 
> well then. I really hope you enjoyed this work. Fluff isnt my strongest suit, but yeah!!
> 
> Until next time,  
> Stay Fresh!


End file.
